50 Years of Tyranny In Tibet Print E-mail

The Chinese Government has declared Saturday 28 March to be “Serf Emancipation Day”, a new national holiday to celebrate the “peaceful liberation” of Tibet. China has instituted this annual holiday in Tibet to mark the 50th anniversary of the dissolution of the Tibetan Government, following the Dalai Lama’s escape into exile. The holiday is intended to “strengthen Tibetans’ patriotism and expose the Dalai clique,” according to Legchog, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the TAR.

Despite occupying Tibet for over half a century the Chinese Government has failed to win the support of the Tibetan people.

The Reality: 50 years of tyranny in Tibet
Tibetans are oppressed: China’s occupation of Tibet has been maintained through military, political and economic control. Tibetans are denied basic human rights, including the right to determine their own future. Tibetans who protest against the occupation risk torture, imprisonment and death. The Dalai Lama said on 10 March 2009 that Beijing’s policies “thrust Tibetans into such depths of suffering and hardship that they literally experienced hell on Earth.”

Creating this “holiday” demonstrates China’s disdain for Tibetans’ feelings and is a blatant piece of propaganda: At this highly sensitive time, and given the fact that Tibetans have risked their lives over the past year to demonstrate their loyalty to the Dalai Lama, this “holiday” is provocative and increases the risk of unrest. It is an attempt to hide the fact that the majority of Tibetans wish to be free from China’s rule and continue to resist the occupation of Tibet despite the severe crackdown.

Tibetans will be forced to celebrate: Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that an anonymous TAR official has acknowledged that Tibetans are unwilling to celebrate the anniversary. RFA said that TAR prefectural and county officials have met to “ensure that all people mark the occasion with festivities.”

Protests
Tibetans in Sydney and Melbourne will be gathering at the Chinese Consulates to protest the Chinese Government’s campaign of misinformation and call an end to the ongoing crackdown in Tibet.

SYDNEY
Saturday 10am. Chinese Consulate, 39 Dunblane Street, Camperdown.
Further information: Tenzin Gaden 0413 542 320.

MELBOURNE
Saturday, 10.30am - 12.30pm. 75-77 Irving Road, Toorak.
Further information: Sandup Tsering 0416 379 338.

Declassified Documents Reveal Truth Behind China’s Invasion
A search through Australia’s National Archives has revealed hundreds of telegrams, internal memos and briefings from around the time of the Chinese invasion of Tibet. This historical record makes clear that, at the time, Australia and other Western powers regarded China’s takeover of Tibet to be an act of imperialist aggression. Download a sample of these documents (PDF - 1.01MB)